


that smile on your face (where did it go?)

by jeongsbread, salt__shaker



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Angst, Did I Mention Angst?, F/F, Freeform, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Going To Hell For This, Murder, NSFW, Smut, Threesome - F/F/F, and holy water, based loosely off of ttt: crime scene, because sometimes people forget, did i mention smut, forgive me god jihyo, i'm going to cry writing this, jeong i dont hate you i swear, looots of holy water, park jisoo not to be confused with the one from blackpink, prepare tissues, suicide?, things get a little... out of hand, this is going to be longer than i wanted it to be, tw// blood, tw// suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:33:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27983118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeongsbread/pseuds/jeongsbread, https://archiveofourown.org/users/salt__shaker/pseuds/salt__shaker
Summary: how it got here, i'd have to find out through my tears and the blood on the sidewalk that belongs to you. you were so happy that day, too. where did it all go wrong? that smile on your face. though you are dead, why are you still smiling?or in which jeongyeon's suicide might have actually been a murder.this is a work of fiction and is not to be taken seriously. thank you.
Relationships: Hirai Momo/Son Chaeyoung, Hirai Momo/Son Chaeyoung/Yoo Jeongyeon, Hirai Momo/Yoo Jeongyeon, Myoui Mina/Yoo Jeongyeon, Son Chaeyoung/Yoo Jeongyeon
Comments: 12
Kudos: 23





	1. 355 feet above, but now 6 feet below

**Author's Note:**

> there are a few trigger warnings so check the tags, i guess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there were 9 girls: one's dead, three are trying to figure out why, another four are suspects and one is a little too quiet.
> 
> as detectives im nayeon, park jisoo and myoui mina examine the crime scene, they try to find out why mina's girlfriend jeongyeon committed suicide... until they find out she didn't.

to say the least, mina was devastated. there her girlfriend was, on the ground surrounded by a pool of her own blood, pale and unmoving. next to mina was her friend, nayeon. and while the girl couldn't stand the mere sight of blood, she hugged the younger, knowing that it helped her in some miniscule way. mina took a breath before crossing the tape of the scene, joining her coworkers who were already examining the body. even if she didn't want to, it was her job. 

"myoui, i'm so sorry," says their squad captain, park jisoo, who sees the girl enter the scene with red eyes, "do you think you know how this might have happened?"

the younger only hiccups and shakes her head in response. jeongyeon had, in their 8 years together, never shown any signs of anything that might have caused her to do this. god, she was even afraid of heights. in mina's pretty mind, she knew that there was no way jeongyeon— her jeongyeon— was even capable of the thought of leaving her girlfriend. jeongyeon couldn't even bear to work her 9-5 job without texting her girlfriend every hour, much less jump off of a thirty storey building and be separated from her girlfriend for years. mina knew it wasn't likely, so then why was jeongyeon even on the roof in the first place. 

then, from the building, nayeon walks through the sliding glass doors with four people— three in handcuffs and another walking alongside the taller. mina looked up from staring at her girlfriend's body and immediately recognized two of the three in handcuffs, both jeongyeon's friends. the teary-eyed girl walks over to nayeon with practiced caution, causing herself to waddle towards the older. 

"momo unnie? chaeyoungie?" mina asked as she was close enough for them to hear, her voice unstable. she saw their reddish eyes upon closer inspection. it couldn't have been them, right?

"i found momo and chaeyoung on the roof. minatozaki sana here," nayeon gestures to the third girl in the cuffs, "was on the elevator. they all saw jeongyeon before she jumped. kim dahyun," the said girl who didn't have handcuffs on waved at mina, "was the one who reported jeongyeon's body. she'd seen her falling through the sky about a block from the building and came over but didn't make it," nayeon explains. 

the second she finishes, before mina can thank dahyun for at least trying, momo burst into tears. in some choked and exasperated gasp mina caught the words "no," and "we couldn't stop her," from the girl's mouth. chaeyoung comforts momo as best as she could with her bound hands. sana didn't seem to say anything much or rather, she didn't have any idea as to why she was cuffed. 

"even if you had no part in this, we still have to question you as you were the only people who had to have come in contact with the victim before her death," says a stern jisoo, after turning up with little evidence on the ground. she looked at mina and put her hand on her back, "we'll have to take you into custody. if there is, in fact, further evidence that this was a suicide, then you four will be released without a single taint on your records."

"wait- four?" the girl named dahyun quipped.

"yes, four," mina spoke up, the shakiness in her voice no longer evident, "though you will not be detained because you were not in the building. we will just have to call you in for questioning when needed." 

"i see. thank you for the clarification, detective," dahyun sighs. mina just nods in acknowledgement. 

"i'm going back inside to see if i can find anyone else that had been in contact with jeongyeon before this. jisoo, are you going to check out the roof?" nayeon said, jisoo nodding and following anyone inside, "mina, could you take the three to the station please? maybe start the interrogation," nayeon added.

"will do, unnie," she turned to the four, "momo unnie, chaeyoungie and ms. minatozaki, you three will come with me to the station. ms. kim, i will need your number in case we need you," she finishes.

"smooth, mina unnie," chaeyoung mutters almost in annoyance, quip unheard by mina but made momo snicker.

the two exchange numbers, along with dahyun's little "you can just call me dahyun. i don't really like the sound of ms. kim," and made a funny looking face. this time, it was sana's turn to snicker. just as mina is loading the suspects into the cop car, another car pulls up. _that must be the clean up team,_ she says quietly to herself. the clean up team, also called the _cake gang_ for some unforeseen reason gets out of their car. one looks at mina with a saddened expression, having been informed about it beforehand. 

"we heard about jeongie," says son seungwan, a colleague of mina's, "this must be hard on you."

mina only sighs before responding, "it's all right, seungwan unnie. it's my job, afterall." 

seungwan gives mina a quick hug before putting on a hazmat-like suit and helping the other four with jeongyeon's lifeless body. she takes another deep breath before entering the car, the three suspects squished together in the back. she looks back at them with a sense of fear and hope that it was just a suicide. it pained her ultimately to think that way, but it had to be. the three couldn't be _killers_ , right?

* * *

mina remembered that day, of course she had. the day jeongyeon asked her to be her girlfriend to which mina, who was at a loss for words, could only nod excitedly as jeongyeon kissed all of her worries away. in this world of things she feared, she felt safe in jeongyeon's strong arms, her head in the crook of the taller's neck as they sat along the han river, enjoying the setting sun and each other's company. mina knew then that she would never get tired of this girl. the girl who stole her heart and set her whole straight girl facade ablaze. the same girl who's deathly afraid of heights but would fight off a significantly taller and buffer dude because he looked at mina— that was her girlfriend, yoo jeongyeon.

she remembered the winters together at jeong's apartment, the christmas cookies that turned out perfectly and the christmas mornings she spent with jeongyeon's family, the one christmas they'd spent in japan with her parents, all of it. she remembered the spring days that passed so quickly, as if jeongyeon's warmth was the one warming the world, the summers they'd gone to the beach, and the autumn breeze of their walks in the park; mina cherished every moment she had with jeongyeon. 

but how, where just last night jeongyeon told mina that she's wanted to marry her soon, did jeongyeon end up dead? why, after 8 years jeongyeon decides to suddenly throw herself off of a building? she loathed the thought of it, the left-hand side of her bed cold and empty and now it was. nayeon and jisoo hadn't found anymore evidence at the scene but they did take in another suspect and ended up taking over for mina and told the poor girl to rest.

the said girl looks away from the phone she was holding up as if she were waiting for a text from jeongyeon that went along the lines of "sorry i'm late baby, i'm just grabbing some food for us," or even "i'll be home soon, minari, baby. just got out of work. i love you <3" she looks to her left, to where jeongyeon was supposed to be, hugging her and holding her close enough so that she could hear her girlfriend's heart beat loud and clear. a tear slips out of mina's eye. she'd been holding her tears since after nayeon came out of the building with momo, chaeyoung and sana. one tear became a steady stream as mina's sobs echoed through the room. and suddenly, she can't take anymore of the pain. suddenly, she's out on her balcony, knowing that it would be impossible to live without her jeongyeon. and just as suddenly, jisoo metaphorically breaks down mina's door and rushes over to her, nayeon trailing not too far behind.

"myoui minari! get down from there!" jisoo yells. the loud noise made mina's thoughts disperse just long enough for jisoo to grab mina's hand and drag her back inside her room and engulf her in a hug. nayeon shuts the sliding door that led to the balcony and joins the hug. 

"we entered your apartment with the spare key you gave jisoo," nayeon says gently.

"and then we heard you crying and then we heard the balcony door slide open and i have never run that fast in my life," jisoo said quietly, a lump in her throat, "mina, i get that you miss jeongyeon, but we can't lose you too." 

mina was quiet. she didn't know what happened. she was crying and then she almost died if it hadn't been for her friends. mina's sobs filled the room once more as jisoo hugged her closer. 

"jihyo unnie," mina cried, holding jisoo equally as tight. 

"jihyo? i thought you weren't going to call me that," jisoo whispered, the tears she'd been holding in had started to slip down her cheeks. nayeon leaves them both to make some coffee. she knows that jisoo was much closer to mina than she was, so she let them talk it out. 

when mina's sobs subside, jisoo wipes her tears away and mina does the same. 

"jihyo unnie?" mina asked quietly.

"yes, minari?" the elder replied, smiling at the fact that mina called her jihyo again.

"will i ever be able to overcome this?" 

the question caught jisoo off guard but her smile didn't fade. "of course, minari. you'll get over it. maybe you'll never get over jeongyeon, sure, but i know that you'll get over what happened to her. you're a strong woman, mina.

ganbare!"

mina smiled back at her unnie like she did anytime one of them spoke in japanese. the action made her feel more at ease. 

"you're right, unnie. thank you."

and as if on cue, the door opens to reveal nayeon with three cups of coffee, made the way they liked it. mina and jisoo made room for nayeon as she sat down in front of them, forming a triangle on the floor. they didn't avoid talking about the balcony incident just minutes ago, to which mina claims that something seemed to possess her to do so, like she and jeong were magnets attracting each other, as she'd described it to her unnies. 

after that, jisoo explained what their autopsist found out about what happened to jeong's body. however, the more the words flooded out of jisoo's mouth, the more mina couldn't believe what she was hearing. whatever jisoo was telling her about jeongyeon didn't want to register in her mind. something about it wanted to make her throw up or even throw herself off of the balcony. how had this happened? just this morning, her girlfriend went into work. just this morning, they made love, not knowing that it would be the last time. just this morning, jeongyeon told her that she'd cook something special for her. but for jeongyeon, the afternoon never came. 

that night, jisoo had to put an extra lock on the sliding glass door.

* * *

"do you think they'll find out?" chaeyoung asked momo and sana who were in the bunk bed next to her. 

"who knows," momo rebutted, fiddling with her fingers, "what do you think satang?" 

no response, which momo found odd. 

"hey, sana unnie," chaeng tried, to which the girl then turned over to face chaeng. 

"what do you two want? i'm daydreaming," sana rolled her eyes. chaeyoung just scoffed at sana's bitterness and told her to go back to her daydreaming.

"chou, do you have anything to say?" momo asked the girl that nayeon had brought in before mina left. 

"how did that other girl get away with it? she was there too," the girl, chou tzuyu whined from the cell across from them. 

"technically she was dead when that dahyun girl found her," sana pointed out, "that's why she isn't here." the silence of the other empty holding cells enveloped the girls in an awkward silence. 

chaeyoung sits up from her own bed and goes up to momo's bunk and kisses her forehead. 

"i'm sorry, baby," she whispers to her girlfriend.

momo hums in protest. "you don't have to be. i'm the one who dragged you into it, anyway."

chaeyoung only hugs her girlfriend closer to her as she thinks about what happened. "but babe, did jeong-"

"chae, baby, please. can we not talk about it? i already feel like shit because of it. i don't wanna be reminded of it right now," momo huffs, giving her girlfriend a quick peck on the lips. chaeyoung only mutters a small 'ok' before snuggling into her significantly taller girlfriend. 

"good night sanake, good night miss chou," she said aloud. somehow it doesn't feel so bad that she'd helped. 

* * *

jisoo awoke the following week in mina's bed, (she'd opted to sleep elsewhere but mina had wanted her to fill the missing space) only to find it empty. she sat up abruptly, causing her iron deficiency to take a toll on her and she fell back onto the bed. despite being unable to, she tried sitting up again, though slower. the second she was fine, she rushed out of the room in a frantic search for mina. the rushing proved effective, however, as she slammed right into the younger, causing a yelp to escape her lips. 

"ah, minari, i'm so sorry. you weren't in bed so i panicked and i thought-" 

"hehe, it's ok, unnie. i just needed to stretch a little. sorry for worrying you," mina interrupted, scratching the back of her neck nervously.

mina had been putting off going to work for a little bit, talking to jeong's parents and just taking some time to absorb everything. though she wanted to, more than a lot of things, to start questioning the suspects further, to find out what really happened with jeongyeon. but she stayed at home to recover.

jisoo stayed with her throughout her time off of work in fear that mina would pull another stunt. she accompanied mina everywhere. nayeon would call her clingy and annoying, but mina thought otherwise. jisoo, on the other hand, thought nayeon to be insensitive towards the situation despite her being close friends with jeongyeon as well— nayeon often called bullshit, saying that she did care about the situation but jisoo playfully insisted that she didn't. but nayeon did care, mina knew, as she took the time to borrow the recordings of the interrogetions so that mina didn't have to leave her house. she knew for sure that the hours of listening to the voices of the suspects, two of them her own friends, wasn't going to make her feel any better about jeongyeon, but if she could just get closure, some sort of balance, a connection with what jisoo was saying the other night, then she'd at least would be able to get a good night's sleep; but something told her otherwise.

nayeon put the first tape— labeled 'son chaeyoung'— into the machine she'd brought from the station. mina squirmed in her spot on the living room couch, notepad in hand and jisoo to her left. the tv screen lit up from it's previous black and there was chaeyoung, sitting in the middle of the table, fiddling with her fingers like she had something to hide. 

_"so, son chaeyoung, you were at the crime scene, with specifically, hirai momo, before the victim, yoo jeongyeon supposedly jumped off of the building, correct?" nayeon had asked from behind the camera. chaeyoung continued to look incredibly uncomfortable, to which mina took note of, before she spoke._

_"yes, momo and i were next to each other, pleading for jeongyeon not to jump," she finishes, the uncomfortableness wearing off of the short girl._

_"miss hirai did mention that when i brought her down, yet she seemed completely fine when i found her. the time between death of miss yoo and the time we arrived at the scene was only about three minutes plus another two minutes before i arrived on the roof," nayeon paused, "care to explain why?"_

_mina saw the girl on the screen tense at the sudden question and jotted it down. "momo unnie was in shock after jeongyeon jumped," chaeyoung explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe, "through her initial shock, she calmed down a little and i wiped her tears away."_

_"i see. then, what do you know about minatozaki sana? you seemed to know her," nayeon said, almost in some teasing manner._

_"sana is a friend of ours," chaeyoung ventured, unaware about what may come next._

_"then what was sana doing in the elevator, on the scene, when i know 100% that jeongyeon has never in her LIFE seen sana at all?"_

_the quip made chaeyoung's eyes waver. nayeon had caught her red handed. "i'll take you to a different cell so you can't discuss your answers," nayeon appears on the screen,_ leading a wary and quiet chaeyoung out of the room and then the recording stopped. nayeon took it out and put another one in labeled 'hirai momo.' _when said girl appeared on screen, she looked worried. mina made note of it but judging based on the way she didn't look around the room like chaeyoung did when she was nervous, it was clear that something else was bothering momo._

_her suspicions were confirmed when momo spoke first instead of nayeon._

_"what happened to chaeyoung? why hasn't she returned yet?" momo burst out._

_"chaeyoung is fine, i can assure you that," nayeon says confidently, "we temporarily moved her to another cell so avoid discussions but i can assure you that all of you will be back in your original cells by the end of these interviews."_

_the girl at the table lets out a sigh of relief. "thank you, sorry for the interruption."_

_nayeon only clears her throat and starts with the same question she first asked chaeyoung._

_"yes, i was with chaeyoung. and jeongyeon- i don't even want to think about it," momo replies sadly. mina monitors momo's facial expressions carefully and compared them to chaeyoung's jittery actions from the interview before. she wondered why chaeyoung seemed so hostile while momo just seemed sad. maybe it had something to do with what happened, but that still didn't explain chaeyoung's hostility. mina told herself that she would come back to it._

_"right, so you said that you and you specifically called out to jeongyeon not to jump over the edge but when i asked chaeyoung, she said that she called out to jeongyeon as well. is this true?" nayeon says rather sternly, yet the smirk is evident in her voice._

_"she did, though that was about ten minutes prior to jeongyeon jumping. and i do recall, that i said 'we couldn't stop her' through my sobs," momo states in that matter-of-factly tone that chaeyoung had used._

_"is that so? my apologies then," nayeon pauses as momo responds with a small bow, "what was minatozaki sana doing in the elevator, then? miss son pointed out that the three of you know each other."_

_the sadness on momo's face doesn't waver in comparison to the way chaeyoung was left speechless._

_"i was made unaware of sana's presence in the building," momo says quietly._

_"is that so? chaeyoung's answer was different," nayeon said, watching momo's expression grow even sadder, "well?"_

_"what did chaengie say?" momo whispered, tears threatening to fall._

_"technically, she didn't say anything after asking her about the elevator. she just sat there with no other information," nayeon took a breath, "so that is correct, then? even though sana had come in contact with jeongyeon, a girl who she's NEVER met in her life, you didn't see her?"_

_momo nodded in a sad 'yes,' a tear rolling down her pale cheek. '_ so this was what chaeyoung was sorry about. _'_

_"alright then, i think that it's ok to put you and chaeyoung in the same cell," nayeon sighs as she hands the girl a box of tissues, "i'm sorry about all of this, i really am. i'm supposed to be your friend, i'm supposed to support you and chaeyoung through this but it's my job. i'm so sorry, momo."_

_"no, unnie, you're right. it's just your job. we know you mean well," momo is then lead out by security, "good night, unnie."_

the video ended unceremoniously and nayeon removed the tape. she knew that both jisoo and mina had heard the last bit of the video, making nayeon tear up. she took a deep breath and looked at her colleagues. they noticed their unnie's unusual silence and looked up from writing. and while it was usually jisoo, mina came up to her and hugged her tight. 

"i hate having to hurt them like this. even if it's my job," nayeon sobs. mina stays silent but hugged nayeon tighter, nonetheless. with nayeon currently incapable of listening to the other two interviews, jisoo decides to end it there and continue with the videos and the discussions tomorrow when everyone felt a little better. 

but even having said that, mina still reviewed her notes that night after jisoo had fallen asleep beside her. mina often focused on the facial expressions of the people nayeon interviews while jisoo took notes of their answers and how well they handled each question.

she knew that it was better to have discussed it with the other two but knowing that chaeyoung didn't usually act this way irked her. she made a t-chart on her page and on one side was how chaeyoung usually acted when asked a question, on the other, how she acted in the interview. 

_chaeyoung normally_ | _chaeyoung during the interview_  
\- confident | - jittery  
\- never uncomfy | - jumpy and alert  
when asked a ques.| - quieter than usual  
\- isn't easily | - uncomfortable  
startled | - hesitant to answer nayeon's  
\- attentive but | questions  
never so on her |  
toes |  
\- is good with any |  
question asked |  
  
  
momo on the other hand, she noticed, acted as she normally would, meaning that chaeyoung had no real reason to be so alert like that. so what did it really mean? if it was chaeyoung, if she the reason of jeongyeon's death, not only would she never forgive chaeyoung, but she would shut her out of her life completely. mina knew that chaeyoung might have never done such a thing, but she did know that chaeyoung got jealous easily. god, she hoped that chaeyoung's jealousy wasn't the case. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first work on ao3 so uh yeah, thanks for reading this, i guess :)
> 
> -breb


	2. half dead, half alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in mina's dream, she dreams about a memory of her and jeongyeon with all of their friends. all is good-
> 
> -until mina wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha, i'm not good at writing smut. i guess i gotta do some research. wink wonk
> 
> you've been warned
> 
> (i mean there isn't much, but it's something. they'll get better i swear)

* * *

mina, to her own surprise, woke up to the ever soothing smell of something baking in her oven, which she found weird. she knew that jisoo would burn down her apartment if she tried and nayeon wasn't one to bake. she found the other side of her bed empty, to which she ignored and rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes and walked out of her room. as a reflex, she followed the scent all the way to her kitchen, until she ran into an all too familiar taller figure. 

"oh, sorry, baby," the girl said, a bright smile plastered on her face, "i was just about to wake you up."

there was only one person in the entire world who could run into her at such an hour without hearing profanities coming for the usually composed girl. one person who, no matter what, would make her heart race so fast that she swears that it could be converted into enough energy to supply the whole _planet_. she looked at the taller who'd apologized to her in a sheepish manner— using that endearment she loved hearing so much— and smiled. _yoo jeongyeon_.

"good morning to you too, jagi-ah," she teased, knowing how much jeongyeon actually loved being called that despite her poor attempts to tell her otherwise. in response to her girlfriend's teasing, she rolls her eyes and places a chaste kiss on mina's forehead before checking on the contents of the oven. and suddenly, mina knows what this is. what she had supposedly woken up to was a memory of one of the best days of her life— right after jeongyeon asking her out and when she and jeongyeon took it farther— of those she remembered well. today from what she knew, she and jeong invited their friends― jisoo, nayeon, chaeyoung and momo— for a picnic at the park then in the evening, jeongyeon takes her out on a date. it was as if it were yesterday.

the two hugged briefly as the oven's timer goes off, making jeongyeon sigh when mina lets go. jeongyeon pulls the cookies out of the oven and onto a cooling rack. she took off her oven mitts and walks over to her girlfriend who had opened the fridge in search of breakfast. 

"so, anything in mind for breakfast?" the taller asked, wrapping her arms around mina, her head in the crook of the girl's neck. 

the other pulls butter and eggs from the refrigerator, "french toast, maybe."

"sure thing, princess," jeongyeon smiles as she unwraps herself from her girlfriend and takes the items from her hands, placing them on the counter before going in search of cinnamon sugar. they moved around their kitchen in their search for what they needed in a clockwork-like manner; moving as if it were choreographed, hearts beating in sync. it was just another day. 

or so it was, in mina's mind, another day, until she felt something click. today couldn't have been a normal day, not if she was remembering it minute for minute. which means, she concluded while watching her girlfriend put some slices of bread into the eggy-milky mixture, that something important happened today and the universe wanted her to find out what it was.

unfortunately for her, she didn't know where to start. 

"do you remember what time we're meeting everyone?" jeongyeon asks, flipping the first batch of toast onto a plate.

"noon, i believe," mina responds, suddenly hit by the fact that right now, this is her reality. a wave of sadness washes over her in a gentle manner, gentle enough so that she doesn't suddenly burst into tears. right now, though in a dream, jeongyeon was alive and well. aside from figuring out why it was today that her dream plopped her here, mina planned to cherish every moment she spent with jeongyeon because this was really the last time she gets to see her. she didn't like the idea of it, never seeing jeongyeon again, but it was already set in stone; so was the name 'yoo jeongyeon'

she brushed the dark thought out of her mind with the image of a small broom, effectively making her smile. on top of that, jeongyeon had finished cooking, the mixed smells of the cookies from ten minutes ago and the cinnamon from the toast lingered in the air, making it really feel like autumn inside their cozy apartment. 

the two ate in a comfortable silence, with little dialogue shared between the two, just like she remembered. and just like she remembered, her phone rang from the bedroom, it's loud and obnoxious ringtone echoed throughout the space. mina excused herself and ran to her room, hoping to answer before her phone stopped ringing. without checking the caller's id, she answered it with an exasperated "hello" and was greeted with an annoyed scoff. 

"myoui minari, you and jeongyeon better not be having sex right now," jisoo groaned through the phone. the comment made mina laugh as she made her way back to the kitchen. 

"calm your tits, jisoo. i just ran into my room from the kitchen," mina retorts, unceremoniously putting the phone on speaker. 

"yeah, the kitchen where you two were having sex!" jisoo's yells bounced off the walls, which only made it funnier.

"you wish you called us during sex," jeongyeon pipes in, her eye roll evident in her voice, "besides, i'm sure you had a wonderful time with your boyfriend last night."

on the other side, jisoo wished that she'd never started the conversation with that. 

"that's right, jisoo unnie, how _was_ last night," mina wiggled her eyebrows at her girlfriend who just laughed in response.

"i'm not going to deal with you this early in the morning," jisoo mutters, giving up, "anyway, i just called to remind you to be on time and to make sure you don't forget the cookies at home. i've literally waited for months for jeongyeon's cookies and if i don't get some, i will start crying."

"sure, jisoonie! we'll see you soon," mina smiles.

"if i see you limping when we get there, i will never let you live this down," jeongyeon comments, followed by a snort from the other line.

"we'll see, jeongyeon unnie," jisoo scoffs. then, the line went dead.

the couple burst into laughter, mina giving her girlfriend a high-five, "we're so dead, babe."

"it was totally worth it, though," the older laughs, "we should get ready otherwise we're really going to be dead."

mina knows exactly what comes next. she knows how long it'll take for her girlfriend to suggest the one thing that will definitely make them late, but right now, she could care less. jeongyeon looks at her with a smirk, the one that usually sends mina off the edge. she counts down in her head from five, waiting for the suggestion to come out of her girlfriend's mouth. _one_

"well, we have an hour before we actually need to get ready-" 

but she doesn't get to finish because mina's already on top of her, hands on the waistband of her pyjama pants, lips on hers.

they're still at the kitchen table and jeongyeon was about to complain when her girlfriend slips a hand up her shirt as her tongue explores her mouth carefully as if to not get lost. _i guess someone's eager to use that time wisely,_ jeongyeon smirks internally, hand slipping in between mina's legs, causing the girl on top of her to moan. mina's lips leave hers before finding another spot of jeongyeon's perfect, unblemished skin in the hopes of making it a dark shade of red. the marks start from her collarbone until they trail down the valley of jeongyeon's breasts, her shirt discarded on the floor. 

"guess jisoo called five minutes too early," mina husked, her suddenly deeper voice only turned jeongyeon more as she continued her assault on her girlfriend's clothed pussy. the younger let out a soft moan when she feels jeongyeon's hand slide into her pants and rubs her clit. with every move of her fingers against the delicate bud, the girl on top of her, quiet as she leads on, couldn't help but moan out her girlfriend's name. 

but mina knows how it ends, and unfortunately for her (and jisoo, who had just entered their apartment with the spare key) her pleasure is cut short.

"YAH! what the hell?!" screams the unfortunate surprise visitor who now had her hands over her eyes.

"yeah, five minutes too early," jeongyeon mutters, mocking mina's previous statement.

"i thought you guys said you were going to get ready, not have sex right after i end the damn call!" jisoo whines, hoping she can find a bottle of bleach lying around. 

"you never said you were coming over," mina retorts, kissing jeongyeon on the lips sweetly before handing her the shirt on the ground, "and there was still an hour before we were actually going to get ready."

jisoo only groans, mostly because mina was right and because she couldn't get the image out of her head. praying to whatever was up there, she takes her hands off of her eyes in hopes that jeongyeon's shirt was back on. when she looks in jeongyeon's direction, her shirt was, in fact, back on. the couple was now in their kitchen, putting everything together for their scheduled meet up. 

she walked over to the kitchen, avoiding the taller girls as she heads towards the sink in search of bleach. when she does get there, after switching from walking to crawling, she runs head first into a pair of long legs. her eyes trail up the long legs and the girl's nice torso before she realizes who it is. 

"nice try, jisoo, but you brought this upon yourself," jeongyeon smirks down at the crouched figure of her friend, "suffer."

the girl stands up and whines in protest, "but i'm going to be forever haunted by you... and mina..." she trails off, interrupted by the sudden intrusion of the scene that had unfolded just minutes before. jisoo doesn't speak again though, lost in her clouded thoughts. 

"i think we broke her, baby," mina worries, waving her hand in front of her unnies face, "earth to jisoonie. are you still in there?"

"shit, we did break her," jeong suddenly smiles. mina knows that look: the look of inevitable mischief like she were the goddess of destruction herself.

"baby, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" mina smirked. _oh, i remember this_

jeongyeon's smile grows into her signature shit-eating grin, "oh i don't know. but i guess since jisoo doesn't seem responsive, maybe we could... continue?"

"i think that sounds like an amazing idea, jeongie," mina plays along, waltzing her way to her girlfriend who was on the other side of jisoo. 

"NO! WHAT? NOT AGAIN YOU FUCKING HORNDOGS!" jisoo snapped, livid but blushing furiously nonetheless.

"gotcha," jeongyeon smiles triumphantly, "guess we called your bluff."

the shortest sulks in response, "you guys don't even care about me at all." 

jeongyeon and mina only laugh at the pouty jisoo who in turn, really looked like a child throwing a fit. the teasing was always like this ever since she and jeongyeon had come out to their little friend group of six as a couple. jisoo, though not the youngest of the group was treated as such, having gotten into a relationship last among them, excluding nayeon, who had just stuck to one night stands and drunken mistakes until as of recent. they loved jisoo as much as they loved to tease her, which, was a lot of affection, to say the least. 

after about another half an hour of the usual bantering and teasing, the three were ready to leave the apartment— much to jeongyeon and mina's disapproval though, as jisoo had practically stalked them as they got ready to ensure that they were on time. it was just another day with the people she loves, mina reminisced while jisoo and jeongyeon were arguing about something that mina couldn't put her finger on. today was like all other days. 

or so she had told herself.

* * *

  
they had arrived at the park first. of course they had. the rest of the girls had followed shortly for fear that jisoo would literally kill them in their sleep—especially nayeon who had a reputation for being late to jisoo's little get-togethers. mina knew that she had too keep and eye out for anything suspicious but she was worried. what if she couldn't find anything that might benefit the search? what if she woke up too early? 

she spared a glance at the circle that they had formed as they sat under a tree in the shade of the afternoon sun of early summer. chaeyoung and momo were leaning against each other, their hands intertwined, a bright smile on both their faces. nayeon, jisoo and jeongyeon were arguing over the last two cookies and who should have them. in the end, jeongyeon had a full cookie while she made the other two split one. 'what could have happened here three years ago?' 

"mina, babe, do you want some?" her girlfriend asked, holding out part of her own cookie. she smiled and accepted the fragment and ate it quietly. _nothing weird there._

but what happened here that had to have affected the case? she didn't know a sana or a dahyun or even the girl nayeon had mentioned. _chaeyoung and momo unnie knew a sana, but i've never met her myself,_ she sighed inwardly, starting to think that having this dream was irrelevant to the search, that it was just a dream. until there it was, a familiar looking figure lurking just outside of her field of vision. mina sat up almost too abruptly from her girlfriend's lap, causing the taller to jump a little. then all heads turn to her in confusion and the conversation stopped. 

"oh, uhm," she muttered pretending to rub a spot on her back, "i thought felt something against my back, sorry," she lied.

not bothering to lie back down, she glanced about, hoping to catch the figure somewhere among the trees and the pathways of the park. how had she never noticed the figure before, she'll never know, but what she does know is that the figure is familiar and they had something to do with jeongyeon's case. when mina does notice the figure's blonde hair in the far distance, chaeyoung's phone starts to ring and the figure fades from the corner of mina's eye.

"i gotta go take this, it's one of my art clients," she says, standing up from the circle and giving momo a kiss on the forehead, "i'll be back."

 _that's right_ , mina mused, _chaeyoung had to take an art client call. but what is up with that coincidence? why is_ she _here?_

the thought made the gears in mina's head turn. there was no way this could be happening. she'd been through enough to know that these kind of coincidences just aren't supposed to stack up, but they did in the most unsettling way possible. she hated it in every way. even with the definitive evidence that one of the unfamiliar suspects did, in fact have contact with another suspect could have been completely overlooked. just as unfamiliar mina was to them, she couldn't put a name to the figure's face.

mina hoped that her thought process of a dream in the form of a memory wouldn't get any more complicated than it should have been. unfortunately for her, she'd spoken too soon and now the figure was standing next to chaeyoung, a smile plastered on her perfect little face. mina, despite her social anxiety would have been absolutely ecstatic to meet a friend of a friend, but if it weren't for the fact that this meeting with the blonde never happened three years ago, she probably would have welcomed her into the group with as much enthusiasm as the rest of her friends did.

"this is minatozaki sana, i felt like you guys should meet her. she was here in the park and called me here unknowingly," the short girl introduced, "sana, these are my friends," she gestured at the now semi circle, "and that's my girlfriend, whom you already have met," she gushed. 

sana laughed her friend's last comment, her bright, contagious smile infected those around her, including mina herself. the group had started to talk to the girl in some strange a-little-too-friendly manner. the smile on mina's face faded and looked at her girlfriend and muttered something about taking a nap.

"sure, hold on, baby," she said quietly, hoping not to disrupt the conversation as she moved so that mina could rest comfortably in her lap, "sweet dreams."

before she drifted off, she started to scratch her head, a clear sign of her anxiety building up inside of her. despite the blindingly bright smile on sana's face, mina couldn't help but start to see it grow from something so friendly to something so sinister. what was this supposed to mean? _scratch scratch_. she'd never met sana until nayeon brought her out of the building. _scratch scratch_. what was her dream saying about minatozaki sana? _scratch scratch_. what-

"mina? are you alright?" came a soft voice. it seemed far away and it didn't sound like it came from anyone in the group, "minari?"

the girl only glanced around in confusion. the voice sounded like it came from jisoo, but she was busy talking to sana who looked a little too interested in what jisoo was saying. but from the direction of where the voice seemed to be coming from was momo, preoccupied with playing with her girlfriend's short blonde hair. the voice didn't sound like momo, anyway. 

"can you hear me?" the voice said again, "mina?"

"she probably died," came another voice. 

"nayeon unnie! that isn't helping!" whined the first voice. _nayeon?_

"what? she looks dead," the second voice— nayeon— laughed. 

"it's not funny, unnie! something bad might've happened to her!" the first voice sounded close to tears now.

mina heard a faint sigh from somewhere before nayeon's quiet voice filled her ears, "you're right, i'm sorry. what do we do now?"

she shut her eyes after she heard the voices fade into nothing, feeling herself suddenly start to fall asleep. nothing else had changed about today, but she knew now why she dreamed about it. 

mina decided she was going back to work. 

* * *

when she woke up, she was in the present. she knew that she didn't get to spend anymore time with jeongyeon like she had wanted, but she figured that she would be alright. she wondered if she'd ever be able to see jeongyeon in her dreams again, though she doubted it sincerely. nayeon and who she presumed was jisoo were no longer in her room thinking that she'd died in her sleep. mina laughed the harmless "she's probably dead," comment from nayeon off and walked outside, allured by the smell of something cooking. _well played, universe._

as soon as she stepped into the kitchen, however, after not being heard walking out of her room in the first place, she was ambushed by jisoo who had tackled her in a hug. the force of the hug sent the two to the floor and into a giggling heap, to which nayeon then joined by unceremoniously falling on top of them. 

"nayeon unnie told me that you died!" she fake sobbed, clinging onto the youngest.

"and i said that i was kidding," nayeon retorted from on top of the pile. mina lets out a snort before bursting into laughter. it's the happiest she'd been since jeongyeon's death, and if she were being honest, it almost didn't bother her at all. keyword: almost.

what did still bother her about jeongyeon's death was that it wasn't immediately ruled off as a suicide. out of all the suicide cases they'd gone through in the past, most of them were immediately ruled off as a suicide because there was no further evidence otherwise. so then what else was found about jengyeon's case?

"alright, both of you get off of me before i might actually die," mina deadpanned jokingly. jisoo took it literally, though, and proceeded to quickly shove nayeon off of them before getting off of mina herself. 

"hehe, sorry," jisoo looked at her feet, eyes almost refusing to meet mina's.

"was that apology for the floor, for me, or for mina?" nayeon smirked with that shit-eating grin that she'd learned from jeongyeon.

"for mina, obviously," the shorter responded immediately. 

"it's alright, unnie, you just missed me, i get it," mina replied with a similar smirk, "anyway, i think i'm ready to start working again."

"this is just favouritism-" nayeon paused, "wait, what?"

"you're going back to work? but it's only been a week and a half! you still need rest-" jisoo blurted, cut off by mina.

"i'm alright now, unnie," she placed a hand on jisoo's shoulder, "i can handle it." 

nayeon, the usually more composed and unfaltering between the three of them, sent jisoo a worrisome look from behind mina who then understood what nayeon was trying to convey. they hoped that mina meant what she'd said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so the plot thickens, or well, sort of.
> 
> (this took a lot longer for me to finish because finals and missing assignments and last minute holiday shopping got in the way. good luck to those who have upcoming finals because it's that time of the year :) hope y'all are staying safe over the holidays!)  
> aha, and i made an instagram account if y'all wanna follow me or smth: @jeongs_bread  
> \- breb


	3. the impostor among us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mina's back at work but nothing worries her more than how well she does with the interrogations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back :) 
> 
> anyway, enjoy!

* * *

mina had ended up forgetting to listen to the other two recordings in excitement— or because of her nerves, but she didn't know— due to finally getting back to work after her short time off. it was odd, she found as she walked briskly through the hallways of the station, that there was no one there. usually, there were some in their offices working on reports or solving their own cases, but today the usually busy halls were empty and devoid of noise. jisoo and nayeon were back at the crime scene— despite jisoo worrying that something might happen to mina and practically begged to stay with her for the interrogations— which was still closed off to the public for further examination which meant that mina was almost completely alone. almost. 

her job today was to get more information and reevaluate sana and tzuyu whose interrogations she hadn't heard. she'd get the recordings and listen to them herself, but nayeon had the keys to the storage and mina didn't have clearance to them. since nayeon was currently not in the building, she had to talk to the other two suspects herself. with what mina had heard from jisoo, who was on the phone with her just minutes ago, was that the suspects proved to be easy to talk to and to not falter at any sign of vulnerability. mina had only tensed at the older's words. that's why interrogations were nayeon's job. she just hoped that she would do well. 

the nervous myoui mina used her keycard to unlock the last door and came face to face with a long corridor in which she'd never wanted to see again. its cold, familiar, echo-y silence haunted her. there weren't many people in the cells that adorned the walls like paintings, much to mina's relief, as she really didn't want to deal with anyone other than sana and tzuyu. she saw the sullen faces of those who were in their cells, quiet and collected and couldn't help but feel... bad for them? there was a reason mina hated going down these depressing corridors, the detainees, one of them. 

the hall felt like it would never end, mina mused, as she made her way to the other side to where the suspects of her case were being held. was the hallway getting longer with every step she took, she wouldn't know either as a feeling of impending dread washed over her. something about the smell of the bleached walls had probably made her start to hallucinate. she hated it. 

she did eventually reach chou tzuyu's cell, after contemplating every now and then on whether or not she should turn around and just call it a day, and looked through the bars of the cell. "chou tzuyu?"

the girl, who had been previously laying down, looked up at the owner of the voice. similarly, sana, chaeyoung and momo looked through the bars of their own cell, eyes meeting the back of mina's head. the silence before tzuyu responded to the brunette had grown thicker, almost to the point of suffocation, to which made the atmosphere between the five tense. 

"that's me," the tall girl responded, sparing a glance at the worried looking sana behind her. she stood up, towering over mina, as the shorter girl unlocked the cell. 

"sorry for bothering you, but i'm going to have to interrogate you again," mina looked up at the girl, hoping for a reaction, "if you could please follow me."

tzuyu only nodded, sparing a quick glance at sana whose worried eyes bore into her soul. it made her want to turn and make a run for it. the look of sheer terror on sana's pretty face made her want to knock mina out cold, take her keys, free sana and _run_. she kept her composure, however, as she grew further and further from the cell. for a girl tzuyu had only met a week and a half ago, she felt oddly connected to her. 

the tall foreigner followed behind mina closely until they had reached an interrogation room. she listened to mina talk about how the interrogation was going to work, only pausing every so often to mutter something under her breath. mina was nervous, she noted, she assumed that mina had never done anything like this or even that she was still hungover yoo jeongyeon who was said to have jumped off of the building she was working in. 

mina cleared her throat and shuffled some papers in her hand. she hoped that this would go well. 

"so, chou tzuyu, you're the secretary for the building that's under investigation, correct?"

"i am. i've worked there for some time now," tzuyu ventured carefully.

"i see. do you have any connection to the suspects we have in custody right now?" 

tzuyu looked like she had been caught off guard with the question, but retaliated quickly with an answer, "no, but i do have kim dahyun's contact information."

mina nodded and made jot notes with the information and continued, "alright, what time did you go into work today? did you stop anywhere before going to work?"

"i stopped for coffee at 8:30 before my shift at 9:00. after that, at around 10:26, i took a short snack break at my desk." 

"did you see the suspects walk into the building? or might they have already been inside beforehand?" mina raised an eyebrow, slowly gaining confidence.

"sana was waiting in the lobby when i walked in. a little bit later, jeongyeon entered the building and asked me where the bathroom was," tzuyu paused, trying to remember more, "then she came back and started making small talk with me."

mina let her breath hitch when she heard jeongyeon's name but pushed on, "any information on chaeyoung and momo?" 

"they came in at around noon, saying they were looking for yoo jeongyeon," tzuyu confessed, "i don't know how they knew she was there, but i assume they knew each other."

"jeongyeon and chaeyoung are friends. momo usually just tags along. does minatozaki sana do anything else besides sit in the lobby?"

the taller paused for a second, trying to recall the information mina wanted, "when chaeyoung and momo arrived, she left for the elevator. after that, i didn't see her until officer im dragged her out of it."

"one last question for you: do you have access to the building's security system?" mina asked, hopeful. 

"yes, i do," tzuyu said in a whisper. 

"perfect. that's all i have for now. after interrogating ms. minatozaki, i might have you join me to check the security system," mina paused, "i'll take you back to your cell." 

* * *

momo slid into chaeyoung's bed. after a week of almost ignoring each other, she'd finally found the courage to talk to her. it wasn't easy, obviously, the week she'd spend both ignoring her girlfriend and mulling over jeongyeon's death had taken a toll on her mental health, but she found a way to overcome that by talking to herself and sometimes to sana— though she often found the girl staring at chou tzuyu. 

her girlfriend, though half asleep and still bothered by the fact that momo hadn't talked to her first, accepted her hug as they lay in chaeyoung's bed. the older had started off by apologizing, caressing chaeyoung's head gently as she whispered her faults and the thoughts she had come up with and let them float about the shorter girl's ears until said girl would talk to her again. 

when chaeyoung did turn to face her girlfriend, she had tears forming in the corners of her eyes. she didn't want momo to hurt, not anymore. she put her hand on momo's cheek, wiping away the fresh tears that stained her porcelain skin, whispering sweet nothings to her as they gazed longingly into each other's eyes. some of the words relieved the pain in their hearts, some heightened it. 

as this continued, the more the one question that had been lingering on the tips of their tongues had wanted to surface. 

"what about our future?" they whispered in unison, then taken aback at the sheer suddenness of it.

"i don't know, momoring," chaeyoung spoke, breaking the tension, "what do you think?"

"to be honest, chaeyoung, our future depends on the outcome of all of this," momo paused to brush a strand of hair from chaeyoung's face, "and your apology from last week? i don't accept it."

"what?"

"you don't need to apologize to me, i mean. i dragged you into it, afterall," chaeyoung furrowed her brows at the statement, "i'm the one who should apologize."

chaeyoung wanted to say more, she wanted to tell momo that she was wrong, she wanted to tell momo that it was all her, but she knew that momo would deny everything. that was what dating hirai momo was like. momo was so selfless, so goddamned considerate it actually hurt. it was one of momo's fatal flaws, chaeyoung found, no matter how bad any situation was, momo would always, always step in to take the blame.

even if it meant that she got thrown into jail. it didn't matter. momo knew that nothing else mattered until chaeyoung was alright. 

_but that's not entirely true, is it, momo? said a voice._

_you didn't think about chaeyoung whenever jeongyeon was around,_ quipped a second

 _you're so selfish,_ laughed a third

and soon, the voices multiplied, they grew louder and louder until they drowned out chaeyoung's whispers. momo didn't know where they had come from, how to make them stop.

_you're a monster, hirai momo._

"momo, baby, are you alright?" a voice, a real voice, said in tiny, "hey, momoring?" 

"hmm?" momo hummed, trying to find her voice.

"i asked if you knew anything else about the case," chaeyoung said, sitting up.

"i- uh- no. it's not like they're telling us anything."

chaeyoung looked down and fiddled with her fingers, something she usually didn't do, momo noticed. she also noticed that chaeyoung had bought her lie. momo knew exactly what chaeyoung was apologizing for.

but, did that mean that her girlfriend was the murderer?

or was she just another pawn in this game of chess? 

* * *

  
during tzuyu's interrogation, sana felt uncomfortable. it was as if she and chou tzuyu, despite having met briefly on the day of jeongyeon's death and having talked to each other through the bars of their respective cells, had known one another for years. there was a sense of comfort whenever she talked to to the girl. she felt that she needed to protect tzuyu from something, _someone_. so when mina had summoned tzuyu for another interrogation, sana felt conflicted. she felt _scared_.

beside her, momo and chaeyoung had been talking quietly in the bunk next to her own. she didn't know what they were saying, but it was probably a private matter so sana stayed out of it, having problems of her own. even though chaeyoung and momo were her friends, if she had to choose between them and tzuyu, she'd pick tzuyu. 

she _liked_ chou tzuyu. and maybe it wasn't like that, not yet, but sana knew that the second she felt like she clicked with someone, she would do virtually _anything_ to protect them. the thought of it, sana knew, sounded stupid, loving a girl she'd met through the bars of her cell; she'd found it cliche. this wasn't a place to love, nor was it a place to find love in the first place. 

but other than love, she felt this odd sensation pooling in her stomach. maybe she was just nervous about what mina had really wanted tzuyu for, maybe she was scared of the things that might've happened to the youngest. though she was scared, she pushed those feelings away. she didn't want to deal with them right now. even after that, she found, that the butterflies were still there. time seemed to slow, sweat formed on her forehead— was she having a panic attack? 

or did she feel... guilty?

sana felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, effectively snapping her out of whatever kind of thoughts she was having, and turned to see chaeyoung. 

"sana unnie, what's going to happen to us?" the girl asked, eyes wavering. 

the older sighed, hugging the small girl close to her chest, "i don't know, chaeyoungie."

momo slid out of chaeyoung's bed and joined the hug, patting her girlfriend's soft hair. no one knew what was going to happen, nor did they collectively know who the murderer was. 

* * *

mina led tzuyu back to her cell, feeling accomplished, if not cocky. she sauntered slightly through the long hallway behind the tall girl all the way until they reached her cell. she fished around for her keys and unlocked the cell door, which creaked in complaint. 

tzuyu had to duck to get into the cell, but when she was in and the door shut with another loud creak, she immediately turned to look at sana. sana who still looked at tzuyu with that same worried expression, the same one that made her want to run away with her. sana who, despite being hugged by her other cellmates, looked exceedingly uncomfortable.

sana who was being taken out from her cell. 

sana who was being led away by mina after they had exchanged words that tzuyu didn't catch.

 _her_ sana.

wait. hers?

it felt foreign, to call sana hers. it felt wrong yet, _so right_. maybe the interrogation had messed her up. she needed some sleep.

* * *

"alright, minatozaki, you're next."

"huh?"

she hadn't been paying attention. sana was too busy looking at tzuyu to notice her cell door open with mina standing on the other side of the opening. it made her look like some otherworldly being, one that took poor, unsuspecting victims to their deaths. 

but also, mina looked like an angel.

"i said, you're up next for the interrogations. i was going to warn you beforehand, but i was told not to," mina repeated, the adrenaline in her system still present.

"o- oh. alright," sana paused and walked out of her cell and turned to look at her cellmates, "will you interrogate them too?"

"that depends," mina shrugged.

"depends? on... what?"

"if something doesn't match up, i'll see if i can confirm whether it's wrong or right."

for some reason, sana felt very nauseous. her worries about tzuyu, chaeyoung and momo and her current situation had piled up significantly, though she ignored them as she shuffled behind mina. or maybe it wasn't her worries, sana mused, maybe she was just tired. afterall, she hadn't gotten as much sleep as she'd wanted to. so then, what was it really? 

"have a seat, minatozaki."

she didn't even realize that they'd arrived. 

"you, minatozaki sana, were caught on the elevator. care to explain why officer im picked you up?" mina had started defiantly.

_alright, sana, just... play dumb._

"she just asked if i had talked to the girl outside on the sidewalk and i said yes. i don't actually know why."

_not that dumb, idiot._

"i do hope you realize what you're saying," mina deadpanned.

"yes, i know, it came out wrong," sana muttered.

"care to try again?"

sana gulped. mina was scary.

"officer im asked me if i had talked to anyone named yoo jeongyeon that day and i said yes," sana explained carefully.

"i see. now, you, son chaeyoung and hirai momo are friends, correct? what a coincidence it is that the three of you were at the crime scene," mina said, the shit-eating grin finding its way onto mina's face.

"i didn't even know they were there! it really was just a coincidence-"

"that's where you're wrong, minatozaki. chaeyoung knew you were there, momo did not," mina felt _powerful_ , "what kind of nasty plot were the two of you planning?"

_too powerful._

"chaeyoung just wanted help with her friend jeongyeon! i even saw her in the lobby before she went up the elevator-"

_way too powerful._

"wrong again! you were already heading for the elevator when chaeyoung and momo walked into the building," mina paused to lean closer to sana, "you're lying."

the blonde froze. mina already knew everything... except for the truth.

"so then, what business did you have with my girlfriend, huh? you, a girl she's _never_ met once in her life, had no real reason to even be around jeongyeon. i know that for sure because i know everything about jeongyeon-"

"then maybe _you're_ the problem. maybe she jumped to get away from you!" sana yelled. she was so sick and tired of letting mina have the upper hand. the 'tough girl' facade mina had put up, was torn down just like that.

"what?" mina asked in a broken voice.

"you heard me, myoui. _you're_ the problem."

"guards, take her to a different cell. we're done here," mina ordered.

as sana was being dragged away, she snarled one last remark.

"you were never a good enough girlfriend, myoui mina."

and it stung.

* * *

the tap-tap-tap pattern of jisoo's quick-paced walking echoed through the empty halls of the station. mina had contacted her— and the first thing jisoo did was leave the crime scene in a hurry— about one out of two successful interrogations, not forgetting to— though she was ready to beat minatozaki's ass— check up on mina first. 

mina had, jisoo noticed, always become her top priority. even before jeongyeon's death, if mina needed a shoulder to cry on, it was always jisoo. she didn't mind half the time, that besides being her oldest friend that she was mostly a shoulder to cry on, but on some days, mina's tears felt like a heavy burden. it made jisoo feel like she needed to constantly make sure that mina was ok at all times. sometimes, it hindered mina and jeongyeon's relationship with each other, sometimes, her own relationship with mina. 

she felt that it was her job.

jisoo found herself standing in front of her office. she knew for a fact that mina would be there on the couch, lying down and staring blankly at the ceiling just like she always was whenever jisoo walked through the door. sometimes, fact turns to fiction when proven wrong, jisoo snickered internally because there mina was, at jisoo's desk, looking through minatozaki's profile.

"i thought that you were sad," jisoo smirked, leaning on the doorframe.

"info on minatozaki first, be sad later," mina replied monotonously. 

"aw, come on, don't be like that, minari," the older whined, walking over, "you literally called and said that you wanted to cuddle."

"how's the investigation going?"

"you're ignoring me, unbelievable."

"answer the question, park," mina growled. she still, despite being brought down by sana, felt powerful. 

mina's cold, icy tone sent chills down jisoo's spine. mina had never been this... angry. rather, mina was rarely angry at all. the brunette was always calm and collected, she was soft, even. it was like the girl couldn't feel angry at anything. and yet here she was, furious, maybe terrified at the fact that what sana had said was true. 

_but she doesn't even know you. you can't even be sure_ , she reasoned with herself.

 _well then what the hell was that dream all about?_ she asked herself.

"what dream? i mean, you're speaking out loud. i mean-," jisoo took a breath, "we've started taking another look at the roof and the sidewalk. joohyun unnie volunteered to check the elevator again but i had to leave to check on you so i don't know that situation there."

"i-" mina paused, "thank you... and i'm sorry."

"you can talk about it, you know," jisoo reassured, though scared of mina yelling at her.

"i know, i just," she sighed, "i'm just going to arrange a meeting with kim dahyun. then we can talk."

"ok, i'm going to make a phone call then. take your time," jisoo smiled gently, stepping outside. 

mina nodded and smiled back. she unlocked her phone— the password just being jeongyeon's birthday— and dialed her newest contact. as she waited for the other line to pick up, she cleared her throat and hoped that she wouldn't mess up. 

"um, hello?" a voice said through mina's phone.

"hello, is this kim dahyun?"

"that's me. myoui mina, right? from the crime scene last week?"

"yeah. i just wanted to know when you were free," mina cursed at herself for the phrasing.

"ah, it looks like the ol' kim charm worked on you too, huh?" dahyun laughed from the other line.

"no, uh," mina lauged, "i was calling you in for interrogation. i want to see what you know."

"right, yes, that," dahyun cleared her throat and wished that mina didn't know that she was blushing from embarrassment, "i'm a little busy right now but i'll be available in the evening, if that's alright with you."

"that works out nicely, actually," mina looked at her schedule, "at what time would be most convenient to you?"

"6:30? that isn't too late, is it? like, you're still working?" dahyun asked.

"i'm at the station until 8 pm, usually," she flipped through some pages, "i should be free at 6:30. i'll notify you otherwise."

"alright, sounds good. see you then, ms. myoui," dahyun said, a little breathless.

"see you, dahyun-ah," mina responded gently and ended the call. she sat back in jisoo's chair with a huff while she listened to the former's muffled voice from behind the door. she wasn't able to catch a lot of what jisoo was saying, but whatever it was, she sounded _pissed_. while mina listened to jisoo, she picked up a pen and started drawing. one line became two, then three, then four. she channelled what she was feeling at that moment— she drew a circle, then a few ovals— she channelled what she felt about the whole situation— she added extra scribbles and lines in places where it felt right— and then, after about five minutes, she dropped the pen. 

she'd drawn a sunflower; jeongyeon's favourite.

the sunflower reminded mina of one of the many sunflowers in that field that jeongyeon had taken her to on one of their many dates. the sunflower she drew was just another one in a million, just like jeongyeon. 

and then, her phone rang. half expecting it to be jeongyeon, she picked up after two rings. 

"minari? you gotta come down here. please don't be busy," said a breathless seungwan.

"oh, you're not jeongyeon," mina thought aloud, "i mean, what is it, seungwan?"

"ok, so i ran some tests on jeongyeon's blood and oh, _fuck_ , you've got to see this for yourself, mina," seungwan sounded worried, "wait, did you just call me jeongyeon-"

"it's bad," interrupted a familiar voice from the other line, "and though you have to see this, you better prepare yourself mentally because you are _not_ going to like it."

"seulgi unnie? what-" mina started.

"just trust us," seulgi and seungwan said simultaneously. 

"fine, uh," mina glanced at the door, "i'll be down in five minutes."

mina didn't like where this was going. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little more plot development. it's all just going downhill from here, i think.


	4. the floor for dead people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> seungwan and seulgi call mina down to the basement to examine something they'd found in jeongyeon's bloodstream, confirming that it was in fact, a murder. how had it gotten into her bloodstream, the three will have to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, the thing is, i haven't been feeling the best so y'all can have this half of the chapter while i work on writing the other half.  
> i'll just re-upload it here when i do finish.  
> thanks for understanding:)  
> (1/3)
> 
> surprise, it's still not done! have more anyway :)  
> i didn't really beta read this so uh-  
> (also, hbd, leader nim jihyo!)  
> (2/3)
> 
> the end was a little rushed, but it has the idea.  
> (3/3)

the door slammed open, startling jisoo who was standing just outside of it. mina apologized hastily as she rushed out of jisoo's office, determined and scared to find out what seungwan and seulgi were so worried about. she took deep breaths, though running through the hallways and down staircases because not only did she hate the basement— which was full of cold, dead people— she didn't know if she could look at jeongyeon's dead body again. 

rather, with all of this new information, she didn't know how much longer she could stay invested in this case. but she'd do it. if it meant finding out who killed her jeongyeon, she'd prevail. 

after going through doors and fumbling with her keycard, she arrived at what the team of eight— joohyun, seulgi, nayeon, seungwan, sooyoung, jisoo, yerim and herself— called "the floor for dead people," to which mina found distasteful. why had they let nayeon and yerim name the room, the others wouldn't know? jeongyeon, even, had made fun of the name when she went to visit mina at work. how ironic it was that now she was part of the bodies there. 

she walked amongst the walls that stored the cold bodies. mina had always thought the room to be more of a graveyard than an actual graveyard. other than her echo-y footsteps and her uneven breathing, the whirring of the air conditioning was the only other thing that told her that she was alive amongst the dead. 

a hand grabbed hers and, in fear, she swung at them with her fist. when she felt it collide with something, she celebrated briefly before realizing who she'd just punched.

"jesus. for someone who startles easily, you pack a fucking punch," seulgi smiled, holding a hand up to her jaw.

"oh, shit, sorry," mina laughed, "i thought you were a dead body that had come back to life."

"it's all good. it's my fault for scaring you. i'll bring you to wannie's lab because i know that you would just get lost down here," she put a hand on mina's shoulder, "let's go?"

mina nodded and glanced around at the walls as seulgi led them down to where seungwan's lab was. other than being the cleanup crew for the crime scenes, seulgi and seungwan ran autopsies of the bodies they'd brought back. the rest of the "cake gang"— again with the dumbass names— helped jisoo's team investigate the scene further. the eight of them had been friends at the training academy that they all attended together. through that, mina was sure that nothing would hinder their relationship with each other. 

the training academy had thrown them together in the most relevant way possible, bringing the eight impossibly closer through the multiple years they'd been together. they'd been through so much together. it went to show that time wouldn't tear apart the bonds they've formed with each other. or well, it only seemed to apply to certain people, mina assumed. 

after some time navigating through the maze-like basement, they arrived at seungwan's lab which was surrounded by all sorts of gadgets that mina wouldn't be able to name. the room was rather large compared to any of the offices above-ground— mina had only found it small because of all of the machinery that was scattered throughout the lab— with its four different entrances to more labyrinths of corpses in their file cabinet-like storage. in the center of the circular room was a brightly illuminated table. 

mina turned away the second she saw it. 

it went unnoticed, however, as seulgi had gone up to seungwan and scared her. the center of the room was almost impossible not to look at; she wanted to stay away from the center of the room for as long as possible. even if it was only for a short amount of time. 

"hey, minari! you made it. didn't actually think you'd be down this fast," seungwan laughed nervously, "if you'll uh, just follow me this way." 

seungwan, with seulgi and mina in tow, walked towards one of the many cluttered surfaces of the lab and peeked through the microscope that was there. she gestured for mina to look through it herself. seungwan looked scared.

"assuming you can see properly through the microscope, those are," she took a sharp breath, "jeongyeon's healthy blood cells. if you swap over to the other microscope to your left, those blood cells were... infected by something. i have yet to figure out what's infecting them, but if you'll move over here," seungwan moves over to a fume hood followed by mina, "i've simulated something similar to whatever's infecting jeongyeon's blood cells. to be honest, i didn't even know that this shit could infect your blood. man, i was wrong."

mina felt dizzy, but she pushed on. she needed to know what happens next.

"do you remember when we watched zootopia and then those animals were getting shot with those nightshade bullets? or whatever they were called," seulgi asked, providing help to seungwan, who seemed to have lost train of thought.

"yeah. why?" mina asked quietly.

"well, it's similar to that. or rather, it's the exact same," seungwan piped in, "someone in that building had some form of nightshade, or how i know it as, ' _scopolamine_ ,' with them and used it on jeongyeon."

"so they were able to control jeongyeon with the... scopolamine how?" mina questioned.

"scopolamine, when its fumes are inhaled, rather than the medication patches you can get, will able the 'owner' or, the person who sprayed the scopolamine on the victim, to control them. this is probably how the murderer got jeongyeon to jump off of the roof," seungwan explained.

"to add on to that, there couldn't have been just one murderer. someone had to have supplied that shit from their nightshade farm," seulgi quipped. she then grabbed her phone, her eyes widening, "shit, i have ten missed calls from irene. i'm going to go take this."

"alright, you go. irene's going to make you sleep on the couch, i bet," she paused as she watched seulgi walk out of the room, "anyway, mina, about the potential nightshade farm that you might have to deal with, we don't know exactly that it is nightshade. i'll have to update you guys on that later. one more bit of information, nothing could have stopped jeongyeon from jumping except for the 'owner,' so that means that momo and chaeyoung are _probably_ innocent. but only probably. this doesn't take them off of the list."

the last of the information made mina slump to the floor. maybe she should have stayed at home a little longer. whoever was responsible for this, mina wanted to make them pay. she wanted to tear them limb from limb, make them _hurt_. just like they did with jeongyeon. 

seungwan crouched down in front of mina and let out a heavy sigh, "unfortunately, that's not all. i'll have to direct you to the center of the room."

  
***

  
"what do you mean 'you need me back at the site?' i'm busy here, im," jisoo groaned, "i still need to talk to mina."

"huh? you haven't talked to her yet?" nayeon said from her side of the line.

"no," jisoo sulked, "she pretty much ignored me when i got here. ten minutes later, she's rushing out of my office and headed towards the basement. that isn't going to stop me from talking to her, though." 

"that's another thing, actually. i need mina here with tzuyu so that we can access the security cams," she paused to think, "and... um, did we get any new information from seungwan? she's been down there for a week and we still have nothing." 

"i think that's why mina headed down. seungwan must've wanted to run it through her first," jisoo said, worried, "did joohyun or sooyoung find anything new?"

there was silence, and then, "sooyoung hasn't reported back yet. joohyun's being all mopey about her girlfriend ignoring her and isn't telling me anything," another pause, "and yerim went to grab us some coffee."

jisoo sighed, "anything else to report?"

"not that i know of," nayeon muttered, "i'll call you back, ji, yerim just got back with the coffee. love you."

"i love you too, nayeon. talk to you later," jisoo smiled weakly.

she ended the call and opened her messaging app. 

mall jisoo:  
_i have to head back to the site_  
_we'll talk later though, ok?_  
_love you_

mina mina minari:  
_ok_  
_love you too_  
_take care, jisoo unnie_

she sighed for maybe the nth time in the last ten minutes. she didn't like how short her conversations had gotten with mina. she didn't like feeling so far away from her. _'c'mon, jisoo. give her some space. her girlfriend just died, after all,'_ she told herself, _'she'll be ok.'_

jisoo pocketed her phone after some time and was about to step away from the wall when a body collided with hers. she stumbled and fell backwards, the person falling with her. 

"ow, fuck, sorry," seulgi apologized, getting off of jisoo, "i've been hurt so much today," she muttered to herself.

"it's all good, seul. is something wrong?" jisoo asked as seulgi helped her up.

"i missed way too many calls from joohyun so i'm heading over to the site before she makes me sleep on the couch. oh, and mina's handling herself well, i think," seulgi explained. 

"what a coincidence. i'm heading back to the site too," jisoo said, "nayeon needed me, apparently."

"huh, ok. let's go before either of us are murdered, then," seulgi laughed.

"actually, nayeon's scared of me. the only one dying is you," jisoo joked. it felt nice to laugh again.

seulgi just snorted at jisoo's remark and started walking off again, "ah, the one perk of being single. not dying when you miss ten calls from your girlfriend."

it was jisoo's turn to snort as they walked out of the building and over to seulgi's sleek black suv. the two drove in silence, occasionally jamming to whatever was on the radio, minds lost in other things. jisoo hummed along to 'cry for me' while she stared out at the bleak autumn morning, feeling just as gloomy as the grey sky that stretched on above the skyscrapers. 

just like the cloudy skies, jisoo's mind was incredibly cluttered. she remembered what seungwan told her about jeongyeon, what she had told mina over a week ago, and how she'd handled the news. the squad captain knew that mina was strong but, when it came to jeongyeon, the only strong thing was mina's emotions. mina loved jeongyeon endlessly, always overflowing with love for her girlfriend. in the occasion that mina and jeongyeon got into a fight— they never lasted very long— mina would shut everyone out until she'd mulled over her emotions and was ready to talk. when they'd found jeongyeon's body, while jisoo saw first-hand what mina felt, only mina knew how much it really hurt. 

she wondered herself, how it would be like to lose someone you love so dearly, how she would handle the news. then she remembered the broken expression on mina's face that night when she stood on the balcony railing when she called out mina's name and she turned around with tears in her eyes. mina was strong, but she lets her emotions get to her.

"penny for your thoughts? you're extra gloomy today, ji," seulgi commented as she turned into the site's lot, "worried about minari?"

"yeah, you could say that," the younger replied. 

"c'mon, jisoo. you said it yourself last week. mina will be fine-"

"but what if she isn't? what if she's just faking it so that we don't worry?" jisoo complained, "what if i'm not doing enough?"

seulgi parked the car and immediately turned to jisoo. she put a hand on her shoulder, looked her in the eyes and said: "you're enough, jisoo. just give her time. besides, ji, she's with seungwan. she'll be alright."

jisoo didn't know how seulgi had managed to convince her, but whatever it was, it helped. 

  
***

  
seungwan hugged mina close. she knew that she shouldn't be pushing so much information on mina all at once, especially when she'd just come back from her short leave, but she needed to be the one to tell mina. it only felt right. 

"minari?"

"i- i'm ok. i just need a minute," mina responded quietly.

the shorter nodded as mina snuggled into her, seeking comfort. she embraced seungwan's warmth and imagined that she was leaning against the oven in her and jeongyeon's apartment while she watched on with a dream-like stare as a cake baked inside. the thought comforted her. it reminded her of jeongyeon in every way but for once, she ignored it. she ignored it because, hell, she was going to think about this moment every day for the rest of her life. she was going to wake up every day and remember that jeongyeon no longer occupied the spot beside her, that she no longer existed in this realm. she was going to just let go, even if it were for a few hours. she just needed to get through today. 

she took a breath and detached herself from seungwan. mina was going to let go of her feelings for jeongyeon only long enough for her not to spontaneously combust at whatever seungwan has to share with her. 

"you ready to learn about something you won't like?" seungwan asked in a friendly yet hostile tone. 

"it's now or never, right?" mina laughed dryly.

in the events of the last week, seungwan handled mina like she were fragile as she helped the girl up from her fetus position on the floor. she knew though, that mina had already caught the gist of what she wanted to show her, but even so, she was scared. she was scared when she told mina about the potentiality of the nightshade within jeongyeon's system and terrified at what she was about to show her. 

"well, i hope you're ready to handle this shit because jisoo and seulgi unnie didn't take this very well," seungwan warned.

she led mina to the center of the circular room where jeongyeon's body lay for examination. the autopsist watched as mina approached the body carefully, acting as if the girl in the middle was simply asleep. the words she'd wanted to say to mina almost didn't make it past her lips, continuing to glance at mina's scarily expressionless face as seungwan pulled out a notebook from her lab coat pocket. 

"here, you can see that jeongyeon looks completely unharmed," seungwan explained carefully, "but over here you can see this little scab on her neck. you see, this is the reason why i couldn't be one hundred percent certain that there was nightshade involved. unfortunately, i haven't been able to figure out what exactly the separate substance is," seungwan paused as if to wait for a reaction, "other than this 'injection' that jeongyeon received," seungwan moved more of the sheet that jeongyeon was covered with, "are these strange marks. i know you wouldn't make these _kinds_ of marks, but i hope you might be able to decipher them?"

mina opened her mouth and closed it again like a fish out of water. it didn't sound that bad when seungwan told her.

"i- i have no idea- these," she took a shaky breath and let her fingers drag over the marks, "these could be anything from _anyone_. as far as i know, jeongyeon never had these when i saw her-"

"there's more on her thighs. they look exactly the same. do they look like hickeys to you, maybe?" seungwan suggested, jotting down any more observations she made.

the question caught mina off-guard, "what the hell?"

"it's an honest question, minari."

mina took the time to examine the various injuries that littered jeongyeon's body. at the same time, she took a breath and held it. when she released it, she let her feelings go one by one— a tactic she'd learned years ago and one she never thought she would use again. 

"i know for sure i didn't make those. those ones," mina pointed at a few hickey-like bruises, "those are mine for sure."

"um, ok. did she go to muscle therapy? or whatever the fuck it's called," seungwan asked, "y'know, that cupping technique or whatever."

"not that i know of. she's never pushed herself enough to go."

"one more thing," seungwan, in her small size, turned jeongyeon's lifeless body over, "she's been marked."

"marked?"

"branded like some _product_. which means there's definitely more to this than we thought," seungwan paused and let out a groan, "why does this have to require so many brain cells? anyway, whatever _this_ is, had to have been at least a week before she died otherwise it would have healed way too much-" she looked at mina with a puzzled look, "how are you taking this so well?"

"huh? what do you-" mina stopped. she _had_ been taking seungwan's discoveries well. her advice to herself had worked like a charm, "oh, you mean that. i just told myself to forget about jeongyeon for a while."

the autopsist's eyes widened in surprise, but said nothing more. she didn't like the sound of mina simply forgetting the one and only yoo jeongyeon, her fucking girlfriend. she also hated it when mina repressed her feelings. it happened once during training years ago and it _did not_ end well. 

"wannie unnie? you zoned out."

"what? oh. um," seungwan was suddenly scared of mina, "that's all i have for now. i'll just, uh, call you back down when i find something new. here, i'll lead you out of this place."

mina reluctantly agreed, though confused. she turned back towards the table one last time.

"i'm just going to say good bye to jeongyeon," she turned to seungwan, "if you don't mind."

"take your time, minari," seungwan replied, stepping out of the room completely.

"you were so happy that day, too," mina started, "where did it all go wrong? that smile on your face. though you are dead, why are you still smiling? where did you go?"

the rest of the things she'd wanted to say were cut off by the vibrations in her pocket. she pulled out her phone to check the multiple messages that had been sent to her. 

nabongs  
_you aren't busy, are you?_  
_or well, maybe you're busy wiping_  
_your tears or something_

nabongs  
_no, that sounded mean. sorry_  
_besides the point, i need_  
_you here with chou tzuyu_  
_so that we can a_ ccess the security  
_cams_

mina mina minari  
_ok, i just need to get out of_  
_wannie unnie's lab_  
_also, i'm ok_  
_i think_

nabongs  
_you think?_

mina mina minari  
_yeah, i don't really know_  
_either_

nabongs  
_well, get here as soon_  
_as you can ok?_  
_love you, minari_

mina mina minari  
_alright, unnie_  
_love you too_

  
_message from wannie_

  
wannie   
_you haven't pulled a_  
_juliet, have you?_

mina mina minari  
_very funny, unnie_  
_ji would throw a fit if i did_

wannie  
_good. i'm waiting for you at the_  
_east entrance_

mina put her phone back in her pocket and scanned the entrances with little placards over them based on the four main directions. she located the eastern entrance to the lab and, before she left, placed a little kiss on jeongyeon's forehead. 

_alright. time to collect chou tzuyu._

* * *

jisoo waited nervously in the lobby with nayeon who was already there. she'd heard from the older about mina and seungwan bringing chou tzuyu so they could start investigating further. as the squad captain, she was allowed to push the investigations to a later date. jisoo told herself that everyone needed that week long break— the rest of the eight were friends with jeongyeon too, after all— but she really issued the break for mina. even if mina wasn't ready to start working again by then, she'd at least get a break from any more work-related news.

the thing was, mina _was_ ready to go within the week that jisoo had indirectly given her and it worried jisoo. while she didn't like it when mina went overboard with her emotions, jisoo didn't like it when mina bottled them up either. she knew for sure that mina wasn't over jeongyeon's death but she was acting like she was. 

emotions were mina's fatal flaw. that's just how it was now. 

soon, six out of eight were gathered in the lobby awaiting the arrival of their last two members. they talked quietly amongst themselves about matters that jisoo didn't quite catch or find any interest in. within ten minutes of their conversations, however, jisoo had found herself engaged in their conversation about whether joohyun and seulgi should get a cat or not. or well, more cats because seulgi already had two (2). 

"joohyun unnie, why don't you get a dog?" yerim laughed from the armchair to jisoo's left.

"wouldn't that just be seungwannie?" seulgi snorted, causing the rest to burst out laughing with yerim and nayeon literally rolling on the floor.

and then, as if on cue— and _god_ , that moment couldn't have been any better— seungwan starts barking and growling as she walks into the building with mina and a confused tzuyu, causing everyone to laugh even harder. 

"go- HA- get your," sooyoung wheezed, unable to form a complete sentence, "get your fucking dog- HAH- unnie!"

"what is going on?" whispered tzuyu, in handcuffs, beside mina.

"i'm going to be honest with you, i've no fucking clue," replied the shorter, "but i can, not so much reassure, you that this is very normal."

"hey joohyun unnie, what if you put her on a leash?" nayeon howled.

"but- pfft- she's my mommy," seulgi grinned, earning a shove from both joohyun and seungwan.

"this is _normal_?" tzuyu whispered again, to which mina responded with a nod.

the two stood awkwardly to the side while more sexual innuendos were thrown about. in all of mina's life, she realized that she'd never felt this singled out— or this single, for that matter— in her life. she'd never felt alone because she knew that someone, anyone, would always be by her side, but now, she felt like a child who'd just been kicked out of a circle of friends. she felt small. 

or maybe it was because she was standing next to chou tzuyu, but she didn't know. 

they let the group finish their awfully long conversation about how joohyun was actually a bottom before mina cleared her throat over the obnoxious wheezing noises, making everyone turn to her. 

"are you guys done? because i have somewhere else to be in," mina took out her phone to check the time, "five hours."

the squad looked at her— mina didn't know if it was in awe or if it was in confusion— in a way that made her feel both uncomfortable and in power, much like she felt with minatozaki. it was dead silent now, all eyes still turned to mina in a horror movie-esque way. the stares, mina felt, wanted to make a dare with her. they taunted her. 

"right, of course," jisoo jumped in, "everyone, you know what to do. nayeon, you take chou tzuyu instead because mina, _we_ need to talk."

everyone except jisoo and mina split up into their respective groups, heading off in different directions. mina looked at the older, her fears and anxieties coursed through her, taking over the previous powerful feeling. she didn't like when that happened. 

jisoo then turns to mina, formerly having been facing the departing groups, and pauses. to mina, jisoo looked as though she was going to say something completely off topic and not related to her problems whatsoever, but she was sure that it was just a figment of her imagination when jisoo gathered her thoughts and started speaking to her. 

and while jisoo's thoughts were neat and collected, the words flowing seamlessly, it was mina whose thoughts were everywhere else. she caught bits a pieces of what jisoo was saying to her, but other than that, she couldn't hear a word.

"...hell, what did she even say to you? i swear, if that minatozaki girl tries anything, she's dead," jisoo growled, "i mean, how could someone possibly hate on you? you're like, perfect!"

mina, whose mind had only caught the words "she's dead" and "possibly hate," started to space out. she really couldn't concentrate on a word her unnie said, not when her mind was idly occupied by everything else.

the unusualness of mina's behaviour, having been caught by seungwan— though, the autopsist did nothing about the matter— who was typically good at noticing little changes, didn't slip past jisoo either. she even stopped talking to see if mina would notice, but mina kept her eyes trained on the ground. this was what jisoo was so worried about. she— and seungwan— worried so much about mina's current state because, as mina's closest friend, she knew about the one thing that mina would never speak about again. the one thing that could ever hurt her as much— or even _more_ — than jeongyeon's death. 

but just because she wouldn't speak of it doesn't mean that she didn't constantly think about it. 

ten years ago, before jeongyeon was even in the picture and during her early trainee years, mina suffered a massive loss that left her in the odd state— with the random emotion spikes, all spacey and often listening to her heart, her anxiety, feeling like she was in power over everyone like a deity— that she was in now. 

and if mina could go back in time, she would go back to then and undo the permanent damage she caused.

_if only._

"i'm sorry. did you say something, unnie?" mina mumbled apologetically, looking jisoo in the eyes.

"oh, i was just saying how if minatozaki tries something, i'll kill her," jisoo replies, pretending that she'd been talking the entire time, "but, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did she say to you in there?"

mina sighed, "she told me that i was the reason that jeongyeon jumped. that i was a bad and overprotective and _controlling_ girlfriend."

"you know that it isn't true-"

"but what if i don't know that? what if sana's right?" mina sobbed, "what if i killed her too?"

mina's last statement caught jisoo off guard. mina never talks about her past. _never_. "don't say that. you- you didn't kill anyone, minari."

"that's not true-"

"look, minari, i know that it still haunts you, but i promise, it wasn't you this time. you're _never_ going to hurt anyone else," jisoo says, cupping the taller's cheek and wiping the tears there, "come here."

mina goes in to hug jisoo and buries her head in the crook of the older's neck despite being taller. she liked it there, in jisoo's embrace. it always calmed her down no matter how shitty she felt about anything at all. jisoo reminded mina of her late mother, even if she wasn't particularly close with her. she knew, though, that when she was younger, her mother was her hero and her _whole world_. both jisoo and her mom were her shield. jeongyeon, compared to them, was mina's sunlight. 

so then, what do you do when suddenly, the sun stops shining?

"how did minatozaki even come up with that conclusion anyway? that girl really has the guts to talk to law enforcers that way, huh? and another thing, she doesn't even know you! how-"

"i think i provoked her," mina interrupted, "i kept proving her wrong with the information that chou tzuyu provided and i guess she just got pissed."

"that's a shitty reason to attack someone like that, though," jisoo huffs, drawing little pictures on mina's back.

mina hummed in reply, not bothering to move from her position, "how much longer can we stay like this?"

"as long as you want, mina. or until someone interrupts us."

"good."

* * *

there was this weird tension between her and chou tzuyu, mostly because they actually knew each other. they'd met through a friend some time ago, but they'd never had a full conversation before. or well, tzuyu's interrogation didn't count, in nayeon's opinion. tzuyu lead nayeon to a server room then through a little hidden short cut up some stairs and to the security office. 

"so, uh, how have you been?" tzuyu asked as she unlocked the office's door.

"i've been better. this case has already taken a toll on me and we only officially started investigations today," nayeon sighed, "how about you?"

"besides being stuck in my cell, i've been good, actually," the door unlocked with a little click, "anyway, i can start accessing the security footages. if you want, you can start too."

the room was relatively large for a room that had a hidden entrance. it felt small, however, because of all of the wires and monitors that lined the walls like christmas lights. it would have been blinding if the monitors weren't the only light source. 

nayeon glanced at the monitors at the very front of the room, the ones that showed what was happening right as the two walked about the office, immediately catching joohyun and seulgi making out in a stairwell.

"hey tzuyu, watch this."

the secretary looked at the screen nayeon was watching and made a face while nayeon pulled out her phone and sent a message.

nabongs  
_keep it pg, you two_  
_man, that's going to look_  
_great in the system_

then, they watched in amusement as the two stopped and seulgi pulled out her phone then looked around for the camera. joohyun flipped the camera off while seulgi sent an angry text to nayeon.

baeseul  
_bitch_  
_focus on your task_

nabongs  
_"focus on your task" my_  
_ass. you're just bitter that_  
_i caught your ass making out_  
_with your girlfriend._  
_jisoo'll have a field day_  
_with this information._

baeseul  
_don't you fucking dare_  
_report me to ji. i'll_  
_kill you_

_nabongs_  
_buy me sondae and i'll think_  
_about it_

nayeon and tzuyu turned back to the monitor and watched at seulgi grumble to herself and laughed in victory. 

she then walked up to a computer which, chou tzuyu explained, controlled six specific monitors. she had full control of when to start watching and zooming in at any time she wanted to. the controls were simple enough to understand, especially because one of the security guards in charge of monitoring the cameras had managed to integrate an xbox controller for easier use. nayeon had never been much of a gamer, but the controls were much simpler. 

tzuyu voiced that she'd try to get into the elevator's cameras because they'd been encrypted and secured and then the video footage was in some folder somewhere and, as a simple secretary, she had no fucking clue as to why. nayeon let her do her thing while she looked through some time stamps that had been written down by order of hour and day. she found the time stamp for exactly one week and a half ago and let the footage roll from there. 

so far, from the hours of 9 in the morning to around 11:30, tzuyu had kept her word and told the truth during her interrogation. after 11:30 am, it was like nayeon was seeing... triple?

on one of the monitors, it showed jeongyeon talking to tzuyu.

but on another, at the same time, it showed jeongyeon talking to sana. 

on a third monitor, jeongyeon and chaeyoung and momo were having a conversation. 

"what the _hell_?"

"what is it?" tzuyu asked, glasses (which nayeon didn't know where in _hell_ tzuyu had produced them from) perched on her nose, face incredibly close to the computer's screen.

"why... why are there three jeongyeons?" nayeon whispered in fear.

"i-" tzuyu turned to look at nayeon, "what?"

"look! the timestamps match, it's all 11:34 am, but there are three jeongyeons just _there_. all there. at the same time. is this supposed to be some stupid prank, chou? because i'm not liking it," nayeon shuddered but kept her composure otherwise. 

tzuyu stood up from where she was sitting and walked over to the six monitors nayeon was controlling and took a closer look, "did you check the dates?"

"what do you- oh," nayeon looked at the dates. they were three different days at the exact same time. _whoops_

"wait, i don't remember this happening," tzuyu squinted at the second monitor, paused with jeongyeon and sana in the frame, "they never spoke to one another?"

nayeon froze. _what is going on today?_

"they... didn't?"

the suspect shook her head. why the hell was the computer acting up now? she was trying to clear her name and the computers made her look like a liar. she went through a few more files and clips and found something that nayeon might like to hear. 

"sana and jeongyeon used a different entrance," she started, gaining nayeon's attention, "that's why i don't know of this. the room they're in is a conference room, one modeled to look like to lobby for comfort, i'd assume."

nayeon had taken out a notepad and had started scribble away. tzuyu wondered if the rest of nayeon's team was like that, considering mina had done the same during her second interrogation. 

"unfortunately, there's no audio, but we do have proof now that sana and jeongyeon had some connection to one another, even if it was just on this day," the taller explains. 

the scribbling stops and nayeon looks up at tzuyu, "spoken like a true detective. i might have you temporarily put on the team for this," she snickered.

"if only i weren't a murder suspect, huh?" tzuyu laughed bitterly. 

"no, i mean really. i could have you go undercover for the team but only if within the time we're here, you can completely clear your name."

tzuyu liked the sound of that. "what's in it for me?"

"you get to go free and you get to help us catch the criminal in the meantime," she paused and kept her eye trained on the secretary, "and...something else, something of your choice."

she looked back at nayeon with a mischievous glint in her brown eyes, "so freedom _and_ whatever i want?"

the older nodded "but, if you fail to figure them out, you only get the freedom."

"win-win, huh?" tzuyu speculated, "you sure know how to bargain."

"i may have gambled a few days ago and learned that i had _incredible_ luck," nayeon shrugged, "well? it's a limited time offer. besides, we can trust each other to not blow one another's cover."

a smile started to form on the taller's face, she knew what nayeon meant about _cover_ , "you've got yourself a deal, officer im."

"good."

and, like it was never there to begin with, the weird tension wore off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha, have cliffhanger :)
> 
> what do y'all think is going to happen next?  
> \- breb


	5. kim dahyun and the girl in the cell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mina's day isn't over just yet. with one more person to interrogate, anything could happen.
> 
> kim dahyun meets the people of the cells and stays there for a few hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i present to you, more of my bullshit. enjoy

she didn't know why she was so adamant on looking nice and choosing the right outfit; after all, it was only a trip to the precinct, not out to some fancy restaurant or a bar. dahyun cursed herself for having that kind of mindset every time a girl talks to her, but her brain— or maybe it's her heart― often refuses to think otherwise. _so much for the kim dahyun charm._

the brunette checks herself out in her full-length mirror another time and groans in exhaustion and frustration. dahyun had been trying to get ready for the past hour, finding nothing suitable in that time. she still didn't like her outfit despite it being her best one ever, in her opinion. _'what do people usually wear to a precinct, anyway?'_ dahyun asked herself _'prison clothes?'_

her head turned to the clock on her nightstand. _17:37._

"ugh. shit." she threw herself onto her bed. dahyun blamed her boss for her mood, him having given her a new, sooner deadline for the song she'd been working on. as someone who'd been working as a composer for the last decade, you would think that she'd be able to handle only another two weeks of working on the song, but with this whole murder case that she was roped into, she didn't know if she could finish it in time. she didn't like being accountable nor rushed, so really, the next two weeks, she knew, weren't going to go well for her.

dahyun gave up on trying to look overly nice and just threw together a blouse, tucking it into a pair of black, ripped jeans; a look she never really tried or liked all that much, but it worked. the composer looked at herself once more in the mirror before grabbing her belongings. at 5:58, she left the comforts of her home to pick up some coffee for herself and probably mina on her way to the station. dahyun figured that it should be fine. 

and so, dahyun arrived at the station; punctual, which was unlike her. she did realize at some point that mina might've wanted a different blend of coffee, but the "fuck it" side of her wouldn't let her. she didn't like how her mind worked, clearly. 

now that she was there at the station, however, she realized that no one was around. 

"ah, this can't get any worse, can it?"

  
***

  
nayeon's plan was simple: they pretend that they couldn't find any sort of information through the cams— something about tzuyu being uncooperative— and put the girl back with the other suspects. from there, tzuyu finds out whatever she can about sana and the others using a voice recorder disguised as a fidget toy. with that, tzuyu's scheduled for daily interrogations to discuss her findings. 

prior to that, tzuyu had proven that she was innocent, unless of course, dahyun had something against her, but that would be something they would have to find out later. 

when nayeon had pitched the idea to the rest of the team, they immediately agreed— mina especially. if it meant that she would get more information from sana, then by all means she would agree— and put the plan to action, after the rest of their investigations, of course. even then, the team of now nine got a little carried away with their jobs until mina checked the clock. 

she muttered a curse under her breath before shooting two separate messages; one to the team's group chat (now including tzuyu) and one to dahyun.

mina mina minari  
_guys, we have to go_  
_or well, some of you can_  
_stay, but i need someone to_  
_drive me back to the station_

mall jisoo  
_mina, you're standing next_  
_to me_

mina mina minari  
_drive me, then_

mall jisoo  
_fine_

kanghyun  
_ooh, couple quarrel_

mina mina minari  
_we're not a couple-_

the child  
_like i don't see that_  
_everyday_

baeseul  
_ok, joohyun and i don't_  
_argue THAT much_

wannie  
right, like you two didn't  
fight just earlier because   
seulgi didn't answer her gf's  
calls

baeseul  
_..._

kanghyun  
...

baeseul  
_but we made up though_

nabongs  
_yeah_

**_nabongs kicked mall jisoo_ **

nabongs  
_by making out in the_  
_stairwell_

chewy  
_oh yeah, that_

baeseul  
_oh_  
_i forgot you had to see_  
_that too_

chewy  
_if you want, i can delete_  
_that clip_  
_or i could give the clip to_  
_nayeon unnie_

baseul  
_don't you dare_

nabongs  
_:)_

_**nabongs added mall jisoo** _

baeseul  
_oh you are on thin fucking_  
_ice, im._

nabongs  
_i know > <_

alright, assholes  
_enough of your shit. let_  
_me drive in peace_

nabongs  
_yes mom_

the child  
_ok mother part 2_

wannie  
_yes mom_

  
_private message to_ _kimdubu_

  
mina mina minari  
_i'll be there in a few minutes_  
_i'm sorry, i didn't realize that_  
_it had gotten so late_

kimdubu  
_it's all good_  
_i've only been waiting for_  
_a little bit_

mina mina minari  
_oh, good_  
_i'll see you soon_

mina pocketed her phone then, turning to jisoo who was, in fact, focused on the road ahead of them. as an added bonus, seungwan had tagged along, having run as fast as her short legs would take her. seungwan's sudden desire to join them came as a surprise to mina. having popped out of thin air— and successfully scaring mina, just as everyone else seemed to be doing— mina wondered what her true intentions were. 

true intentions, though, meaning that in a normal scenario, seungwan would have opted out on going with them. that could only mean, mina mused, that seungwan was worried about the same thing that jisoo was so keen on keeping tabs on. they were worried about her. 

the drive went on in silence just as it did that afternoon with jisoo and seulgi with the exception that the atmosphere in the car was tense. it was like someone wanted to bring up the topic, but felt that they should just keep it to themself. among the eight, silence never sat well, nor did it stay long. or, at least, it tended not to. today seemed to be an exception. 

the youngest had wanted to doze off then, even if she knew that the drive wouldn't be much longer. she wanted to fall asleep and meet jeongyeon in her dreams and dance with her amongst the stars. but even that, something so simplistic, maybe even _childish_ , was so impossible to achieve. despite telling herself not to, her eyelids refused to stay open any longer, that is, until jisoo hit the brakes abruptly, waking her up for good.

"fuck," she grumbled as a car swerved in front of them, "you're so fucking lucky i'm busy. i would've chased your ass down for not using your turn signal _on a highway_ , for fucks sake, and for speeding."

"jeez, ji. there's a child in the car," seungwan joked nervously. a habit of hers.

jisoo only sighed in response. she knew better than to tell seungwan off in a situation such as this one, mainly because she knew that mina would defend seungwan and then scold her for scolding the oldest of the three of them. the captain knew that mina would throw herself in front of her friends in the face of danger. she'd gotten it from jeongyeon, who would always do the same. 

the chivalrous action was shared between most of the eight, plus momo and chaeyoung, making it difficult for jisoo to keep track of them all. not that she was complaining, as she'd often do the same.

they arrived at the station rather quickly, despite the trip usually being twenty minutes long, to which they found dahyun waiting in the lobby (though mina swore she locked the doors before she'd left earlier) looking like a dejected high schooler whose date never showed up. jisoo would have laughed if she had been a bystander. 

dahyun saw them and mustered her "polite cat" smile and stood up to greet them.

"good evening, officers," she bowed. the trio bowed back with similar greetings before going over some specifics.

between listening to officer park's incredibly specific rant on behaviour and walking behind her and officer myoui, she kept staring at the back of mina's head. with the ability to read people like an open book, a skill she'd learned during her work experience, she noticed that mina was a whole flurry of emotions. it frightened her, frankly, that one of the only things in officer myoui's mind was a murderous intent. 

but... why?

the trio led her into an interrogation room, mina being the only one in there with her, the other two in the room behind the glass. mina took out a notebook and a pen from out of nowhere, it seemed, and cleared her throat. _'alright, let's get this over with'_

"right off the bat, what is your current occupation?" she asked, immediately taking advantage of her superiority over dahyun.

"i'm a composer and choreographer under jyp entertainment. it's not the best there, but i do get paid quite a bit," dahyun stated. mina made note of the suspect's quip on money.

"do you have any connections to those who have been detained and are in our custody?"

the composer thought a little before responding. "sana and tzuyu. sana and tzuyu being former coworkers, though tzuyu and i still keep in contact from time to time, and sana being my ex. _we don't talk much_."

that certainly caught mina's attention. 

"when was the last time you spoke to any of them?"

"i spoke to tzuyu about three weeks ago about getting some coffee and catching up again," dahyun responded simply, "we're pretty close, i would say."

"and sana?" mina inquired.

dahyun feigned a pause. she knew exactly when she spoke to sana last, but it was a touchy subject. "maybe four months ago? before she left for japan. or was it about that company meeting. gosh, i don't remember."

"sana left for japan four months ago?"

"it might've been four months ago, it might've been six, but whenever it was, that's when she broke up with me. you would think that i would remember such a thing, but honestly, i can barely remember my own _birthday_ ," dahyun ranted, "said she had to go back home and deal with something there. didn't tell me what it was or why she was breaking up with me over it."

it took a second for mina to take in all of that information, scribbling away in her notepad. "so, sana broke up with you before she left and didn't say why, huh?"

"that's right. i would say that it was a bit weird, though, maybe out of character, but honestly, it happens. right?" she looked at mina with a sympathetic gaze, "the people we love just kind of leave without warning."

mina glanced away. "i get it."

dahyun wanted to console her, but she felt glares coming from behind the one-way mirror that told her not to. she wondered if officer son and officer park had always been this protective about mina. compared to how they acted around her when they first met, something told dahyun that this was new, or rather, it was an old problem that had resurfaced. _'maybe i should become a detective'_

"moving forward," mina huffed a tear threatening to fall, "a week and a half ago, my- i mean, yoo jeongyeon supposedly committed suicide by jumping off of a building. you previously mentioned that you were in the area. why was that?"

"i was out for a jog," the accused started, "you know, to get some fresh air, maybe buy myself something to eat on my way home. nothing much."

"at around what time did you leave your house?"

dahyun paused. she didn't remember. "um, 12:30 ish, i think. the building is about a thirteen minute jog, at my own pace, from my apartment, if that helps."

"that's... oddly specific, but yes, that does help _and_ it adds up," mina swallowed, "at around 12:45, then, you saw jeongyeon fall off of the roof?" 

"from when she was still on the roof, to when she..." dahyun stopped, "um. you know."

there was another pause, one of many more.

"i talked to her, you know, jeongyeon. a lot of the things she said before she died were words i couldn't quite hear, but she did say something about mind controlling, apologizing to someone and then she ended it with a "tell mina that i love her," like they do in those movies."

another pause. one in which mina let one tear roll down her cheek. _i love yoo too, jeongyeon_

"you ok?"

mina hummed in response and took a breath. "so," her voice cracked, "both of your connections were in the building. we know that tzuyu works there, but do you have any idea as to why minatozaki might have been? what is she usually like?"

the composer paused for the billionth time. she didn't like trying to think about her ex. "i have no clue. i assumed that she was in japan this whole time. besides, i don't think that sana's capable of anything malicious. she's really trustworthy, or at least, i thought that she was. she didn't even say anything to me! a dick move for someone who would never have done such a thing." 

"i feel you. jeongyeon would have never jumped, yet here we are," mina let dahyun's earlier words sink into her brain, "wait, did you say that jeongyeon mentioned something about mind control?" 

"yeah, why?" dahyun asked, confused.

mina stood up from the chair she was sitting down on so abruptly that it fell to the floor with a loud thud, echoing around the small room. "i'll be right back."

she half ran, half tripped on her way out of the room and into the other one behind the glass, startling the inhabitants of that room— a change.

"did you guys hear that? wannie unnie, you were right about the scopolamine," mina coughed, "we- we can use this! this could be our big break!"

"who would have thought," seungwan thought out loud, "that observation was pretty much botched and there wasn't any other proof."

"mina, go back in there. you're right, we can use this, but we need more information first," jisoo piped in, no longer scared to death from mina barging into the room.

the youngest of the trio felt the adrenaline rush again. it was different this time, however, because it felt like the adrenaline wasn't trying to take control of her actions. mina used this to her advantage. 

she walked back into the interrogation room with her head held high. "what else do you know, kim dahyun?"

* * *

  
frankly, she didn't like it. they did say that she would only be in there for a few hours, but not even two minutes in, she wanted out. not only was she in a cell with tzuyu, though she didn't mind all that much, but sana was sitting in front of her in the adjacent cell, and that threw her off. according to mina from earlier's incredibly long interrogation, sana had acted the exact opposite of what dahyun had told her. she could see now that mina was right. 

a song that she'd recently written and demoed echoed in her head.

_**"surely you can see that you could never make her happy"** _

it taunted her. it taunted her because dahyun did make sana happy, she knew that, but the woman staring coldly at her from behind the bars of her own cell wasn't the same minatozaki sana that she'd dated. it couldn't have been. 

her sana loved her. 

it occurred to her then, while the two continued their staring contest, that she'd never been able to read sana at all. not then, not now. the fact suddenly irked her, because that left the possibility that sana had lied to her for years. that sana had just used her. or, at least, that was what she thought until sana's facade broke down. 

"they were going to kill you. i had to leave to keep you safe. i'm sorry," she blurted out suddenly, catching dahyun off guard.

what?

"what? i don't understand. who's _they_?"

sana gulped. "i- i can't explain it here, but i'll tell you someday."

"so you're just going to make me wait again?" dahyun was fed up, "i'm tired of your bullshit, sana. you come into my life, tell me that _i'm all you ever needed_ , and then _leave_ without much of a goodbye. you should be arrested."

"f- for what?"

"for stealing my heart and shattering it. it sounds cheesy, but it's not supposed to be."

dahyun kept eye contact with sana who was trying desperately to look everywhere else. _'this really wasn't a place to fall in love'_

in one cell, tzuyu rubbed dahyun's back, hoping that it consoled her unnie as much as she thought it did. in the other cell, chaeyoung and momo did the same, though rather hesitantly on chaeyoung's part. the silence between the five was suffocating. 

it was then, however, that sana came up with a plan. the thought came to her like a stone to the head.

"i'll tell you, dahyun," she started, trying to grab the younger's attention, "we just have to wait for one of the officers to come check on us."

dahyun looked at sana with hope and fear in her eyes. "okay. i trust you."

_**"heaven and hell are not far from what you think"** _

* * *

"alright, what do you have for us to analyze, mina?" yawned a tired sooyoung from a couch in jisoo's office.

the eight gathered in their team leader's office after turning up with more nothing at the crime scene. they felt dejected because of it, ready to go home, but when mina called them with news of a lead, they sucked it up to endure their meeting. 

"well, we've gotten a major lead in the investigation. i know we don't have any hard evidence to go with this, but it's still better than what we got previously," mina explained, "jisoo unnie, actually, can you start us off?"

jisoo, from her desk, responded with a nod and shuffled some papers. "as we all know, a week and a half ago, we were tasked with the supposed suicide case of yoo jeongyeon, which then, it was confirmed that it was a murder case. since then, we have taken five suspects into custody, all with some part in the case. so far, chou tzuyu is completely clean of any possible charges and is working with us. as for the rest of them, we'll have to see," she paused to take a breath, "seungwan unnie?"

"right, yes. that brings us to the victim. yoo jeongyeon isn't known to jump off a building without showing any possible signs of being suicidal. rather, we all know that jeongyeon wouldn't dare leave mina's side in that way. seulgi unnie and i have found out, though we have yet to confirm, that jeongyeon was drugged with scopolamine, which is essentially a mind control drug, which also explains jeongyeon jumping in the first place," seungwan stated.

"and," mina spoke at last, "we have a prime suspect. as of this last interrogation, many of the pointers and leads that we do have, point to _minatozaki sana_ , meaning that she could be the one behind all of this. aside from sana, however, we may have to find out who could have possibly supplied her with the scopolamine, and we may have to deal with them when the time comes. from here on, it may get dangerous."

the team leader smiled at the younger. "well said, minari. like mina said, this operation, from now on, could get violent. we'll have to devise some sort of plan and team division so that we are as efficient as possible. we're all okay with being partnered with anyone, right?"

a collective nod.

"perfect. mina, and i will stay as a unit. seulgi and seungwan unnie, you two can continue with your autopsy and see what else you could possibly find out. joohyun, sooyoung and yerim, you three will continue with the investigations at the scene. and nayeon, i will partner you with tzuyu and you two can work on figuring out what you guys found in security. is everyone okay with these arrangements?"

another collective nod, now with some hums in agreement™

"great. that's all, i think. are there any questions? anything someone wants to add?"

"do i _have_ to be separated from seulgi?" joohyun whines.

"yes. now behave or i'll separate you two more often," jisoo jokes. 

"okay."

the team dispersed, the majority of them heading home for the evening. by the time they all left, mina and jisoo remained.

"we should probably get dahyun, huh?" mina started, "who knows what might've happened between her and minatozaki."

"right? i'm glad that i wasn't the only one wondering that. if we'd put them in the same cell, we'd have another murder on our hands," jisoo laughs.

they headed off to the holding cells, talking the whole way. jisoo knows for certain that after this, nothing will ever feel the same. two of their closest friends could potentially be criminals, and another of their friends, mina's girlfriend, was dead. without much of goodbye, too. 

"officers, i hope we aren't interrupting your evening by asking you of this," a voice said, startling jisoo, "but sana and i would like to ask if we could discuss private matters elsewhere."

luckily for jisoo, mina was paying attention. "and why can't you take care of it here?"

dahyun tensed. "we just can't."

"minatozaki? anything else to add?"

sana only shook her head.

mina turned to jisoo, looking for an opinion from her unnie and team leader.

"you know what? i don't want to say here any later than i already have," jisoo spoke, "dahyun, take sana with you on your way home. minatozaki, this does not mean that you are free, and dahyun, that also means that you have to bring sana back when you two are done doing whatever you have to do."

"unnie, what?" mina questioned.

jisoo turned to mina. "i'm really tired, okay? just, get a tracking device on minatozaki before she leaves?"

"sure, unnie."

"does this sound okay to the both of you?"

more nodding.

"good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)
> 
> -breb


End file.
